1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer equipment enclosures, and more particularly to a peripheral device bay with adapter plates for mounting peripheral devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many computer systems, including personal computers, workstations, servers, and embedded systems are designed to have multiple peripheral devices included in the system. A typical personal computer system includes a processor, associated memory and control logic and a number of peripheral devices that provide input and output (I/O) for the system. Such peripheral devices include, for example, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives, hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, and other mass storage devices such as tape drives, compact disk recordable (CD-R) drives or digital video/versatile disk (DVD) drives. Additionally, computer systems often have the capability to interface with external enclosures that include additional peripheral devices.
In many computer systems, it is desirable to include the maximum number of peripheral devices, e.g., hard drives, that can be enclosed in the chassis of the computer system. Similarly, if an external enclosure is used for hard drives, it is also desirable to design the enclosure to optimize space for the hard drives. One type of computer system where it is particularly desirable to optimize hard drive space is the network server. A network server is a focal point for processing and storage in a network, as the network server is responsible for distribution of application programs and data to client computer systems. Because of resource demands, network servers typically have several hard disk drives contained in a peripheral bay and providing nonvolatile storage for the application programs and data.
Additionally, multiple disk drives can be configured to cooperate advantageously using technology generally known as redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID). RAID systems are particularly useful in the environment of network servers because they provide data redundancy, such that if a single disk drive fails, the data stored thereon can be reconstructed from the data stored on the remaining disks. In the most sophisticated network servers and RAID systems, a failed disk drive can be replaced and the data thereon restored by software without interrupting the server""s operation. In so-called xe2x80x9chot plugging,xe2x80x9d the failed disk drive is removed and a new one installed in its place without cutting off the power to the drive or server, and without rebooting the server. A disk drive with this capability is often referred to as xe2x80x9chot-pluggable.xe2x80x9d One consequence of using hot-pluggable hard drives is that additional mounting hardware is required in a peripheral bay so that individual drives may be easily inserted and removed.
While designers of peripheral bays, computer system chassis, and external peripheral enclosures often seek to accommodate as many of a particular type of device as possible, they also desire the flexibility of accommodating a variety of different types of devices. For example, hard drives come in a variety of heights including 1 inch and 1.6 inches. A designer of a peripheral bay might choose to include mounting features so that a maximum number of 1 inch hard drives can be accommodated, for example five 1 inch hard drives. However, if that same drive bay is used for 1.6 inch hard drives, no more than two such drives can be accommodated using the same mounting features, thereby wasting space and failing to optimize the drive bay.
One solution is to include different mounting features for different types of drives. However, it is difficult to include such a variety of mounting features in a single drive bay because of limited space. This is particularly true for hot-pluggable drives that require additional mounting and interface hardware to facilitate insertion and removal.
Another solution is to have different peripheral bays for different sizes of hard drives. Thus, there would be one peripheral bay optimized for the maximum number of 1 inch hard drives, and a second peripheral bay optimized for 1.6 inch drive bays. The manufacturer of the computer system must be able to install different bays depending on a customer""s drive selection. Additionally, a user who desires to switch from one drive size to another must remove a currently installed peripheral bay, and install a new peripheral bay. Either circumstance leads to additional assembly/modification effort, multiple different peripheral bay parts, and a weaker chassis structure because the peripheral bay must be removable instead of permanently installed in the chassis.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a peripheral device bay for a computer system chassis or external enclosure that will accommodate the maximum number of devices for each of a variety of different types and/or sizes of peripheral devices.
It has been discovered that a single peripheral device bay that can receive a variety of different adapter plates, can accommodate the maximum number of devices for each of a variety of different types and/or sizes of peripheral devices when the adapter plates are chosen for the particular type and/or size of device. Such a peripheral device bay includes a frame that can be permanently attached to the chassis of a computer system or an external enclosure. The removable adapter plates are attached to the frame so as to accommodate different devices. Because the peripheral device bay need not be removable, it can be permanently attached to the chassis or enclosure, thereby providing either with additional structural stability. Additionally, because only the adapter plates need to be changed, and not the entire bay, manufacturing and subsequent modification are simplified. The manufacturer can wait until after an order is placed to configure the peripheral device bay. Moreover, users who desire to change the type kind of the peripheral device in the bay merely have to replace the adapter plates.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a peripheral device bay that includes a frame and an adapter plate. The frame is sized to extend around a plurality of peripheral devices and includes a plurality of adapter plate mounting features. The adapter plate is removably attached to the frame. The adapter plate also includes a plurality of peripheral device mounting features located on the adapter plate and allowing a plurality of peripheral devices to be disposed thereon.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer system includes a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, a chassis supporting the processor and memory, and a peripheral device bay coupled to the chassis. The peripheral device bay includes a frame and an adapter plate. The frame is sized to extend around a plurality of peripheral devices and includes a plurality of adapter plate mounting features. The adapter plate is removably attached to the frame. The adapter plate also includes a plurality of peripheral device mounting features located on the adapter plate and allowing a plurality of peripheral devices to be disposed thereon.
In still another aspect of the invention, a method of optimizing peripheral device bay space is disclosed. A peripheral device bay is provided, including a frame sized to extend around a plurality of peripheral devices and including a plurality of adapter plate mounting features. An adapter plate is installed into the peripheral device bay, the adapter plate including a plurality of peripheral device mounting features located on the adapter plate and allowing a plurality of peripheral devices to be disposed thereon. The adapter plate is selected to have the plurality of peripheral device mounting features arranged so that a maximum number of peripheral devices of a single kind are capable of being mounted in the peripheral device bay.